Hello.: Red Sea

Beneath The Underwater : Blue Hole

The cold February morning air woke me up from deep slumber. I scratched my bedside before got up and looked for my timepiece on the tiny brown table.

"Damn it. It's only four in the morning."

The sun hasn't even come out yet. I tried to get back to sleep but it was no use. I sat still on my soft bed and looked at my roommates, Fiq and Lil. They were sleeping soundly, relaxed even. The temperatures were ranging below ten degrees, it was quite cold.

We had activities planned out for today, surprisingly after only got three hours of sleep last night. I guess we didn't want to waste any seconds here in Dahab.

I woke them up three hours later. "Get up. We need to go."

"Whatever. It's only seven in the morning."

I chuckled. "Come on. It's a beautiful day."

The adventure started as soon as we drove through the desert, in the back of an old Jeep. We weaved in and out of the snake-like roads.

After almost half an hour suffering from the Arab's driver driving (read : race) style, we finally reached our destination.

Welcome to Blue Hole.

Blue Hole is a diving/snorkeling location on east Sinai, a few kilometres north of Dahab on the coast of Red Sea. The site is actually a submarine sinkhole with 130m deep.

The Blue Hole is notorious for the number of diving fatalities which have occurred in the past, earning it the nickname 'Diver's Cemetary'

I wandered through by foot, mesmerized by the surroundings that illuminated by the morning sun. The view was completely picturesque; the most striking detail would be the vast crystal-clear ocean with warnings of depths and danger.

"The currents were so strong, and it was not very safe to dive." An instructor suddenly came at us and told us the bad news.

I was really disappointed, my hope to dive at the Blue Hole will be completed on my next visit. The rest of us just want to snorkel and we need to wait for almost twenty minutes before he put out both his thumbs, smirked and waved a green light.

The descent down to Blue Hole was truly magical. We were sequenced on floating boards and swam down near the corals. Unfortunately, my camera ran out of battery, I was quite pissed off with myself for not charging the battery last night.

As clouds passes, we realized that we spent almost three hours at the site. I did catch several quick Bedouin chai, still in disappointment of not going for diving. Regardless, I was having fun with some of my friends as we spent the morning splashing each other with the sea salt water, some of it went down my esophagus. Yuck.

Leaving the Blue Hole feeling invigorated, we decided to explore the town. We again enjoyed some Arab cuisine with complimentary chai while reflecting back on the morning excitements from the Blue Hole. Fiq, Lil and I took few hours to stroll through the town and were utterly mesmerized by its charm: it was filled with fascinating seaside restaurants, bold patterns on all of the windows and doors, and the locals that was very welcoming. Being there for such a short time was a complete tease.

I will be back.

Sayonara.

14:50
0 Comments

Dahab Safari Adventure

Backpacking

Nearing six in the morning, the sky cracked open and dawn was peeled back by an orange sun, illuminating the surrounding. It was my second morning in Dahab, after my friends and I cycled across town the day before. Fiq, my roommate prepared some coffee. I stumbled toward the bathroom to wash my face and whatnot.

As a region in East Africa, Egypt boasts some of the world's legendary seas, and even river. And desert. Plus they have cool beaches too : they ran across continents, bringing desert back to life. That includes Dahab. Dahab is basically a small town situated at southeast coast of Sinai Peninsula.

I visited Dahab three years ago during winter, the weather was fair. Early mornings are often foggy in this season, we loved it.

Two hours later, my friends and I went out and wandered around looking for rides, specifically ATVs because Dahab also famous for its Safari. There are numerous tours that offers the best price, plus the Bedouin Village package included.

Up until now, I wasn't always choose for guided tours but there are some things that you can't do on your own. In Dahab, it is highly recommended for tourist to go by tours because the Safari went on for many miles and one could get lost in the desert by thyself.

After half an hour looking, we finally been accosted by Ahmed. Amidst bruise Egyptian accent, a big smile perched in the back of some ATVs drew us over.

Overhead, a black crow cracks the cold air with its wings.

"Because you guys are student, so I'll give you student prices. That includes Bedouin Village, sah?" Ahmed said.

I nodded. "Kullu kam?" (How much for all of it?)

"Wahda, mi'ah wa asyarah." (One person, 110le)

Within minutes, we rode the ATVs, racing towards the desert.

The guide that was with us brought us all over the permitted areas, including the Bedouin Village. Not surprisingly, we learned that we actually will be joining with other people. It's okay, I guess.

We started off feeling positive ; the cold morning air greeted us with soft wind, the smell of fresh air through our olfactory sense. I felt rejuvenated already.

It was different than any other trip I'd ever taken. Sure, it was an idyllic place - did I mention that it was legendary too?- and there was plenty of time to swim, surf and ride through the dense, dry desert. I tore through the stack of magazines that had been piling up in my apartment, and read about the Incredible Dahab, listened to my pop and rock playlists as I raced across the Safari.

For me, it was a coincidental time of transition. So much has happened back then.

As a travel junkie, I constantly looking for places to explore out of traditional urban tourist hubs. In a place like Egypt, this is particularly vital ; the country is rich with history, foods, fashion but there is so much else to enjoy on their outskirts.

So, here we go. The Bedouin Village.

I celebrated the beauty seen in my long-sightedness vision through the camera lens and my photos. Through the images, I see more of what is around me, framed and captured in many different ways.

In this journey so far, the tears have fallen from my brown orbs because there are crazy sandstorms once or twice. I encouraged my friends to step out of their comfort zones : we worn bruises from hiking Mount Sinai, we suffered from pain as we collided with corals under the sea and felt absolute exhaustion.

Yet, I have adapted far beyond that I thought, I felt immensely pride of myself. I valued my imperfect but capable body, and paused often to remember I am achieving my goals to grow.

"How about we go to Sharm El Sheikh tomorrow?"

"Alright. Till tomorrow."

11:28
0 Comments

Red Sea Dive : Hurghada

Backpacking

It was 43 degrees on that day. The scorching sun burned through the sky and the land of Pharaoh was immediately greeted by the dry, African summer heat.

Arriving in Hurghada at wee hours after we spent almost eight hours on the bus from Cairo really took a toll on all of us. We ended up waiting almost an hour and half for our guide, Mr Hisham to come pick us up at the bus station.

We were brought into Mr Hisham's company, Diamond Red Sea; the place was quite huge, completed with dorms and rooms for rent. Mr Hisham is actually a diver instructor and he will be our guide for the next three days.

We spent the next three days on the boat at Red Sea. We dived, snorkelled, swam from one boat to another. The summer heat, plus with warm sea breeze kept eating us alive but we just didn't care at that time. At least until we didn't realize how burnt our skin were.

The Red Sea was famous for the corals and also the wreck dive. We took advantage of the beauty underwater, feasting our brown orbs with the ethereal nature presented right in front of us.

It was unreal, magical even. We were diving amongst the sea creatures, surrounded by giant, colourful corals and crushing waves. It was one of those moments you play back in your mind, wondering if it was indeed real.

Phone service was spotty, internet coverage is impossible. Even without a defined schedule, our days on the ocean was filled up with activities. There's breakfast, luncheon and evening tea on the boat, swimming around the boats, even chess games took place. I spent times by reading or sleeping if I didn't went down for diving.

How to get there :

Take night bus from Cairo (we went with GoBus) straight to Hurghada. The ride takes about eight hours, hence the night bus.

What to do :

Walk around the streets around the town and stop in the shops selling shawls, Arab sandals and all kind of souvenirs. Wander around the beach for a view of the vast blue ocean and of the idyllic sunset.

Where to eat :

There's a whole kind of foods there, just name it. From Arab delicacies to Western cuisines, Hurghada offers it all.

By the way, this is the video of us in Hurghada. Enjoy.

Adios

16:14
3 Comments

Older
Stories

Pages

Beneath The Underwater : Blue Hole

Dahab Safari Adventure

Red Sea Dive : Hurghada

The Author

Follow Me

Labels

Blog Archive

Popular Posts